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Rh to thy father?' And Jonathan said: 'Far be it from thee; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? Then said David to Jonathan: 'Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly?' And Jonathan said unto David: 'Come and let us go out into the field.' And they went out both of them into the field.

And Jonathan said unto David: 'The, the God of Israel—when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee? The do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; and the  be with thee, as He hath been with my father. And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the, that I die not; but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, not when the hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.' So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: 'The  even require it at the hand of David's enemies.' And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

And Jonathan said unto him: 'To-morrow is the new moon; and thou wilt be missed, thy seat will be empty. And in the third day thou shalt hide thyself well, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself in the day of work, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows to the side-ward, as though I shot at a mark. And, behold, I will send the lad: Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad: Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as the liveth. But if I say thus unto the boy: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for the hath sent thee away. And as touching the matter which I and thou have spoken of, behold, the is between me and thee for ever.'

So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to the meal to eat. And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side; but David's place was empty. Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day; for he thought: 'Something hath befallen him, he is unclean; surely he is not clean.' And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, which was the second day, that David's place was empty; and Saul said unto Jonathan his son: 'Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to the meal, neither yesterday, nor to-day?' And Jonathan answered Saul: 'David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem; and he said: Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me; and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he is not come unto the king's table.'

Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him: 'Thou son of perverse rebellion, do not I know that thou hast chosen